On the 16th May, I met up with Sarah for brunch. I was quite excited about having brunch because it would be my first in London. I was curious to see what the quality would be like… Sydney better? Or London better?
Sarah’s friend suggested a café place called Ottolenghi at Islington, closest tube is Angel. We met up at 10am because that place gets quite busy in the morning. We had to wait in line to get a seat. Took around 15 minutes to get a seat but during this time, I managed to snap a few photos of the food out on display.
Lovely pastries and cakes nicely displayed at the front of the restaurant. Yummm...
As we were lining up, the chefs started to bring out heaps of salads served on huge plates.
The salads look so yummy and healthy... definitely want to go back one day and try out the lunch menu there.
The dish I had was cannelloni beans with sausages served with a fried egg, rocket and sour bread. Quite tasty... not bad for a brunch meal.
Sarah had the dish with corn fritter with shallot or something... sorry forgot exactly what was in this dish.
I think this place was quite good. I really liked the variety of food that they served at the restaurant. It's definitely one of the places that I would like to revisit again in the future. Luckily they have 4 stores around London. I went to the one in Islington and the stores are in Notting Hill, Kensington & Belgravia.
People say the best way to explore London is to walk. Don’t be tricked by the number of tube stations situated in Central London (Zone 1) cuz in actual fact, they all within walking distances. Over the past few weeks, I have been able to take some time to walk around and find out where everything is… I have also joined along to some “London Walks”. This company operates mini walks around London on various topics and they normally take around 2 hours.
I think it is a superb way to really understand London and its history cuz the tour guides really know their stuff. I have learnt a lot from these walks and is beginning to appreciate this city more.
So on my first walk, we met at Green Park and walked to Buckingham Palace in time for “Changing of the Guards”. I’m lucky I chose to come with a tour group cuz they knew exactly where we should stand to get good views. If not, I’ll probably be looking at someone’s back for the whole time and not really see the guards themselves.
At Green Park - you actually need to pay money if you wanna sit on these seats.
We stood on the side of the road, away from the Palace... such good views!!
Tom, our tour guide, explained about the process when changing guards. It is done on a daily basis. Each guard would be on shifts for 2 hours and then break for 4 hours. The funniest fact that he told us was with those furry tall hats that the guards have to wear. The hats are called Bearskins and they weigh around 665 grams (quite heavy!!). They all are standardised so if your head is small, then while you are standing guard, the hat will usually slid down over time covering your eyes. Since they are not allowed to move, they will need to press a button to call someone over to help them adjust their hats. Hahahaha…
He explained more about Buckingham Palace and the guards and then headed over to Westminster Abbey.
Always heard about people mentioning Westminster Abbey but I never knew it was a church (or originally founded as a Benedictine monastery). Westminster Abbey is sitting at the heart of the nation, standing alongside the Houses of Parliament and the offices of government. The Abbey is a symbol of the connection between the Church and the State.
Westminster Abbey is open for worship and either pay an entrance fee to explore the place where the most significant historical and intellectual figures in British history are buried or memorialised. Kings and Queens like King Henry VII and his wife, Elizabeth of York, King James I, Queen Elizabeth I and her half-sister Queen Mary I (also known as ‘Bloody Mary’).
It was a brief taking experience as the tour guide was explaining the history of this place. He knew exactly who died when, when each King or Queen reigned the country, where they were buried and also the history about the other famous figures such as Charles Dickens. Just seeing how the building was built along with all the shrines, tombs and memorial statutes really made me realise that all this history is true and it’s not just a fiction story that has been converted into a movie. (As you can see my history knowledge is very limited… hehehe)
No photos were allowed inside the Abbey so I could only take photos of the exterior.
London is currently being swamped by heaps of elephants around Central London. They are over 250 of them around the size of an adolescent elephant. Each one is unique and has been especially decorated by an artist or a celebrity. This elephant parade is organised by the Elephant Family charity who are trying to raise awareness of the plight that faces many of our big-eared friends.
The model elephants can be found on the streets, parks, famous locations and tourist attractions and even inside department stores…. I get so excited when I spot one of them while I’m walking along the street. It’s like playing “Where’s Wally?” but this time it is “Where’s the elephants?”. Unfortunately I haven’t been able to take a picture of all the ones that I have spotted in these past weeks but I’ll try to take as much as possible before it ends in June!! They are so cute!!
First week in London... heaps of people have been asking me:
"How's London?" "How are you settling in?" "Everything ok?"
Well to answer the above questions, i can definitely say that everything is ok. It has been a smooth ride so far. I'm taking everything one step at a time. Sometimes i feel so overwhelmed cuz there are so much stuff to do (not just in London but including travelling to Europe as well). I keep forgetting that London is a very big city and it's so close to Europe!!
My housemates are all very cool. They are all from Aussieland and have been in London for a few years. They have been giving me tips - where to buy stuff and general survival tips. I’ve become the baby in the household now so they are making sure that I have everything and is settling in ok.
It’s funny how I have so many travel guides about London but I actually have not looked into it at all. I thought I would have a read on the plane flight but I didn’t get around to it. Felt so embarrassed when I didn’t even know what the Big Ben is… but I’m getting there so please forgive me!! For those who know me, I’m normally quite organised but this time round, I seriously do not know anything about London or even the countries in Europe. Need to get chopping real quick since summer is coming soon and I haven’t even organised any trips yet!!
So in this first week… because I had to go to the bank and have an interview with Robert Walter, I happened to pass and was within the same area of these touristy destination.
- Soho
- Chinatown
- Covet Garden
- London Bridge
- Hay’s Galleria
- River Thames
- Tower Bridge
- The Tower of London
- National Gallery
- Trafalgar Square
- St James Park
- Canary Wharf/Cross Harbour
- Oxford Circus
I didn’t get a chance to go into some of these attractions but I’m hoping I’ll get some more free time soon to explore in detail. It was really cool walking along the Queen’s walk (the side of River Thames). It was still a bit windy but the sun came out and it was so nice and relaxing to just sit down and observe the boats passing by the river, cars driving along the bridge and all the tourists walking around and trying to take photos with these famous attractions!!
So I guess being totally unprepared is not that bad after all!!
Anyway, that’s it for the first post about London. I have promised you guys to write more so I’ll try to make an effort to write something every few days. I can’t promise good photos and especially the ones with me in it since I’m always by myself…
Wow... the day has come!! My last day in Sydney for 2010...
The feeling was so weird... i know that i am going to miss everyone in Sydney but on the other hand i knew i am about to step into a whole new world. A country where everyone complains about the weather... no sunlight, cold weather and etc... but to me, London is a place that is filled with lots of opportunities... For me opportunities mean job opportunities - to expand on my international work experiences, try something different and most importantly MEET NEW PEOPLE!!
A lot of emotions went through me today and I am really thankful that my brother, sister-in-law, my nephew, Karen and Anastasia came to the airport to send me off. I wouldn't know what to do without you guys especially with the whole luggage saga. I really appreciate it deep down in my heart!! Tears flowed one after another from the time i left home, in the car, at the airport, waiting to board the plane and even while watching a sad scene in a movie... I know i should be excited instead but once the tears start, it just couldn't stop....
Anyway, with the entertainment on the flight, i was able to loosen up and enjoy the movies provided. The flight from Sydney to HK took 9 hours and 30 mins and the flight from HK to London took another 12 hours or so. A very long flight indeed but I did manage to sleep a bit in the second half of the leg. Arriving at 5.30am in the morning, I smoothly went through immigration with no problems... (the guy kept on asking how i manage to save money for this trip... I must look very young for him to keep questioning about it... hehehe) And i also had no problems finding my driver... a very interesting car ride from Heathrow Airport to Hampstead... they only drive 60km/h on the M4 highways, very narrow roads, a lot of similar houses/terraces one street after another... i know i will get lost one day and most importantly the red double decker buses!! Can't wait to go on one one day!!
Anyway, gotta get some sleep now. In my next post, I'll talk about my first day in London!!
This is my first post in my new blog!! It's been a while that i have been longing to have my own blog. But i've always contemplated whether i should really have one or not.
Reasons why: - I like to eat food but i don't think i want to have a food blog and just talk about food - I like my drama series (HK, Taiwan or Korean) but i don't think i want to be writing reviews about them - I'm starting to learn more about photography but don't think my photos are perfect enough to post up
BUT I am heading over to London in the next 2 weeks and i guess this is a good reason why it's time for me to finally start my own blog!! ^^ yapee!!
So my main aim of this blog is to: - Let my family and friends know that i am perfectly healthy, happy and safe in London - Write about London and all the other countries i'll be visiting in the near future - Write a bit about the restaurants and the foods that i'll be eating - Posting up photos that i have taken (WARNING - these photos are not supposed to be perfect but i hope that the ones i post up, my fellow photographer friends can comment and give me some tips on what i can improve next time!!)
Writing a blog can be time consuming and i know i'll also be busy having a blast over there. But i still hope to make an effort and post some fascinating stuff up for you guys and also for me as a memory.... hope you guys will enjoy reading my future posts!!
That's all i have to say for now... until next time > Annyong!!
